Inquest by Kevis Hendrickson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zyra Zanr is on a mission; to extradite the dangerous terrorist Boris Skringler from the planet of New Venus, and give him over to the InterGalactic Alliance, but nothing is ever so easy. Ending up imprisoned herself, Zyra must somehow fix her own mess and capture her target, who just so happens to be her ex-lover.

(WARNING: This review contains MAJOR spoilers.)

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thanks goes to Kevis Hendrickson for giving me the opportunity!

I admit, I'm very particular when it comes to science fiction, especially space opera, whether it be watching or reading. It needs to have a certain punch to fully interest me, something more than flashy battle scenes or odd looking aliens, but a story that's got depth. Story is essentially everything and, of course, how it's presented. Hendrickson certainly impressed me with a number of things, from his world-building to his highly descriptive writing. Zyra Zanr was portrayed exceptionally well, her every emotion described in such intimate detail, it's as if I could feel her rage, or even her lust. Of course, Zyra wasn't the most wise of characters, as her issues were caused by her own impulsive actions, however after reading the author's note after the ending, I believe this was intentional. She's deeply flawed, but even so, she wasn't completely dislikeable. Perhaps she'll grow as the series progresses, become more careful, as such development is no doubt important. We all learn from our mistakes, after all.

Being a bounty hunter, Zyra is anything but a good person. Sure, she struggles with her decisions and thinks she's doing the right thing, but she's ultimately a killer for hire. At best, she's in amongst shades of grey. Mikaela, her lover, was the likeable sort; loving, understanding and Zyra's only hope of fitting into a normal life with a stable future. I wanted things to work out between them, I really did. I found Mika was trying to be an anchor for the troubled love of her life and it was lovely, yet perhaps destined to fail. (Yes, I'm a real sop sometimes.) Their first scenes were erotically charged whilst not going into the nitty gritty too much, which I actually loved; being able to convey such sexual heat without going into the act of sex itself. Not all writers can do this.

I didn't like Boris Skringler and I certainly didn't want a screwed up, abusive romance going on, so I'm glad Zyra got that out of her head. As a murderer, terrorist, former partner in crime, I found him completely undesirable and annoying. In fact, the few men introduced seemed to be the unsavory types, but that however added to the "girl power" aspect. I do hope in the proceeding instalments, men are given more of a chance. Although saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed the Venusian's and their all-female culture. It was fantastically done and held a very dark undertone that was even unnerving. Their past was pretty grim, with being experimented on, forced to have abortions and whatnot. I truly believe they should've been left alone to rule their world however they saw fit, even if Queen Karah was a nasty woman.

The space battles were an exciting bonus to the great storytelling. As Captain Edna Ajala made the difficult decision to sacrifice her own life, and those of her crew, to attempt one last blow to the Alliance, well that moment was emotional. I don't usually enjoy such battles, and yes I became confused at times with all the techno-talk, but Hendrickson really drew me in. I wanted to know the fate of New Venus, I wanted to know about the super weapon and just what the goals of the Alliance really were. It was truly great, with a shocking finish.

In conclusion: I feel that Zyra, as a protagonist, has a lot of potential. Despite the plot being highly political, I really enjoyed it; the differing cultures especially drew my attention. I know one thing for sure - I have to check out more works by Kevis Hendrickson.

Notable Scene:

Ajala turned around and looked directly into the faces of her crewmembers. But instead of fear, she saw their courage. It was invigorating to be surrounded by such proud women, women who were willing to give their lives to protect their world. She took strength in their nobility and felt a surge of confidence. Death was going to come to them all. But she was going to see to it that the enemy died with them.

© Red Lace 2015

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Review of Inquest (Part one in the destroyer Trilogy) Author Del Sheree Gladden

I rated this book with five stars

I was given this book for an honest review. www.reviewoffantasy.com

I loved every second of this book and now I am a fan.

Libby a young sixteen year old anxiously awaits her inquest, to see what her talents are. In total there are seven; Speed, Strength, Perception, Spiritualism, Vision, Naturalism and Concealment. Normally you receive between one and three which is average, but Libby has known for a long time that she has all seven, which you would think would be awesome. Hmmm, no, too have all seven means you’re the destroyer a title that comes with a penalty – death.
This book got my attention from page one all the way to page 378 now I want book two. Loved Libby, I laughed at her sarcastic attitude throughout the book her optimism after losing everything was amazing.
My favourite is the love triangle between Lance her x-boyfriend and Milo the strange guy. By the end of the book she has to pick one, it’s not the end of this triangle. Don’t want to say too much or I’ll spoil it.

Overall a great read. I finished it in a day and a half but would have read it quicker only for life’s interferences (work). I cannot wait for book 2. I would like to thank the author for allowing me to review her book, I truly enjoyed every second of it.

Action Packed Story

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked:

The fast-paced action and suspense was well written. It was a page turner, especially once the big stuff started up. It was also obvious the book had been edited—it wasn’t filled with typos and grammar problems (thank you!). That it itself, often makes independent books more enjoyable to read. The convoluted natures of both Zyra and Skringler worked well to keep me guessing what was going to happen. The author worked hard to make you hate one and cheer for the other (I won’t tell which). The author also presented a lot of sensory detail, for the most part, and that helped place images in my mind (but does anyone ever eat?).

What I didn’t like:

The first part of the story, where the sequence of events was mixed up was not necessary, especially in light of the whole book. It made the adventure seem like it was going to wrap up as soon as the reader caught up with the present time. I suggest that next time, simply write out the events as they happen, and tighten your tension with each chapter. I understand that going back helps build tension, but it also builds a certain amount of frustration.
For me, the sex scene between Zyra and Mika took away from the story. I thought it was too intense and detailed for what the story was really about. I also realize that in a story with this scope, it is hard to convey the entire thing while staying with one viewpoint. However, I think that if the author had kept to perhaps two or (no more than) three viewpoints, it would have kept the jarring effect to a minimum. Also, develop those characters more, instead of introducing them with little or no background and keeping them that way. For the most part, I thought the voices in the story were mostly similar except for Kara (slightly more irate), Mika (quieter) and Zyra/Skringler (defiant, mouthy). When characters lack enough color, it is easy to forget about them, and the story can more easily be overlooked. The last part of the story seemed contrived to a point. There wasn’t enough backstory presented to even hint at what was to come. For myself, I usually hate backstory, simply because too often it is a data dump. However, not knowing any of the big picture (at all) left me wondering if we were simply moving on to another plot. Even though I left more “improvement comments” than kudos on this review, I did enjoy the story and was pulled into a grand outer space adventure.

Rogue Hunter: Inquest - Kevis Hendrickso... Oh, where to begin? A while back, I read one other book set in this awesome world Kevis has created, and enjoyed it, just like I enjoyed reading 'Inquest'. Wonderful descriptions and action scenes. So visual. I love the characters. Zyra, the heroine in this story, a bounty hunter is quite a character. Under all that toughness, she is complex and sensitive, carries lots of guilt of things she did before she became who she is. It was good to see a soft side of her - especially when she was around Mikaela.
Then there is Skringler. And wow. Talk about a cocky bad guy, and bad to the truest sense. I sort of liked him.. :D couldn't help it. Infact, I'm begining to think he was my favourite, right after Zyra. Anyway.
The end was .... unexpected. Brilliant. Kudos, Kevis. With that kind of ending, I look forward to the next book.